Marine Corps Marathon recap

It's hard to believe that it is already been 4 days since I completed my first marathon. I went back to work Tuesday and lots of people were impressed by how well I was walking! Thank goodness for massages is all I'm saying ;)

Now let's see how I can recap a marathon....

Race day had me up at 4:30! Yikes. Mrs. Farrow, Caroline, and I hit the road to the metro by 5:30 and were on the metro heading into the city a little after 6 (with a herd of other runners). We arrived at the Pentagon station and started the walk to the Runner's Village.

While I was waiting in line for last minute bathroom before lining up, the American Flag came flying in by skydivers.

A quick goodbye and off I went to line up by the Arlington National Cemetery. They didn't have official corrals, runners just lined up in sections based off of expected finish time. I crossed the start about 5-10 minutes after the gun went off.

The first few miles of the race were super CROWDED! Trying to get a pace, running around people, and avoiding getting bumped into or tripped. I can't remember when exactly the crowds seemed to thin out (if they ever really did).

The first half (13.1) miles went by super fast in my opinion. That part of the race took us through Downtown Rossyln, Key Bridge & Georgetown, Rock Creek Park (which was rather peaceful being in woods compared to the city), and Kennedy Center. I saw Caroline and Mrs. Farrow at the Mile 10 sign and was so excited to see them! I was feeling good, I was maintaining my happy pace, the weather was perfect, and seeing the excitement in my sister's face and Mrs. Farrow's was an extra boost. 

Miles 11-14 took us through Hane's Point which I remembered from my Nike Half in April. I loved running alongside the water. I passed the Half mark just a little over 2 hours.

And then the unfortunate happened.....

That evil thing that has haunted me all year.

My IT band started hurting.

at mile 16 (Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, World War II Memorial) .

*Cue curse words*

I tried slowing down my pace to see if that eased up on the pain. Helped for a bit, but then it became obvious that it wasn't going away. 

Miles 16-19/20 (those miles were a blur) were spent trying to run, fast walking, random stretch breaks and just frustration. Yes, my happy mood had changed to frustration. 

Mile 20 was the 14th Street Bridge....aka the never-ending bridge. It just kept going! It probably wouldn't have seem so long if I wasn't in pain. At  this point in the race, I stopped caring about my time (I had gone into a race with a hopeful finish time) and started focusing on how to stay strong and in the least amount of pain for the remaining 6 miles (and to not have my band go completely out on me). 

I shuffled/ran/walked the remaining miles, but when I reached that final mile, I ran. I wanted to get to that finish line. 

I passed the 26 mile sign and was ready to take on the hill that finished the race (yes, only the Marines would have runners go up a hill to end a marathon). The hill curved and I could see Caroline and the whole Farrow clan (Ben, his parents, sister and brother in law) along the side and in front of me, the finish arch.

I had mixed feelings when I finished....some anger over my injury, exhaustion (hello, I just ran a marathon), and a bit of excitement and numbness.

A marine places the medal around your neck and then salutes you which is totally awesome.

 I waddled through the finisher's shoot to get my finisher's box of food and water and then continued slowly on to find my "fan club".

Caroline and Ben found me first which had me burst into tears (I promise I'm not this emotional). They helped me over to where the Farrows were where lots of hugs and pictures were given (as well as a bag of ice for my band). And sitting on the ground for at least 5 minutes was heaven.

Thank you to all my friends and family who tracked me in the race and posted sweet messages on Facebook and Instagram. Seeing those afterwards put such a huge smile on my face!

I have evoked the core principals of the Marine by demonstrating honor, courage & commitment in a successful "mission"!!!!